Jerry and I have spent a good portion of our married lives in the car together.  Since we both work on the Peninsula at companies that are 5 miles apart we carpool daily.  It would seem wrong for us not to since we are both going in the same direction anyway and more importantly, it gets us over the San Mateo bridge cheap.  I guess it’s an opportunity to be together as well.  Sometimes we talk to each other.  We banter, rant about work or even have an actual discussion.  But mostly we listen to the radio. 

Jerry was clear about his car radio rule early on in the  relationship:  the driver chooses the station.  Since Jerry does 90% of the driving when we are together (it’s safer that way) the majority of my radio listening is up to him. 

If it sounds like I live in a radio dictatorship, that would be correct.  But aside from the occasional rebel uprisings wherein Jerry exercises his mighty power by changing the station just as I was getting into Come Sail Away by Styx or Long Time by Boston, or he turns the volume up when I make an attempt at conversation, it’s not that bad of a life.  We share a special attachment to our local talk station, KGO and just last night shared the return of one of our favorite hosts, Karel.  We also love to listen to Howard Stern on Sirius Satellite radio.  I’ll admit that I wasn’t a Howard Stern fan pre-Jerry but I am now.  Yes, sometimes the show can get gross and most of the phony phone calls make me cringe, but overall I’m glad I was introduced to the King of All Media.  Howard Stern is actually pretty insightful and he can do one helluva interview.  A few months ago when he interviewed Billy Joel I felt like they were all there in the car with me, piano and all. 

And overall I like living in a radio dictatorship.  As long as he doesn’t take my blogging privileges away we’re good.